Silent footfalls belie big burdens
—traces of feet will be gone by morning,
shrouded by wind-sifted curtains.
God is completely present, even
in these evening breezes;
every desert is wholly a part of Eden.
With all the planets aligned
to the fullness of ascended moon,
light is abundantly consigned,
Accompanied by comet and star
—all is made bright and visible;
no matter where you stand, there you are,
seen. Yet, onward we ply and plod,
destination unknown,
as they say in the Land of Nod.
Being—to be—good, by deed,
word and thought, is to lodge in a place
so full of goodness, there is no need
to be elsewhere; such is the goal.
To find, there within goodness, a refuge,
where to coalesce and be whole,
in spirit, mind and body,
this is what the dromedary dreams of,
while traversing the ancient wadi.
12/23/2021
For Epiphany
© Elisabeth T. Eliassen & songsofasouljourney.blogspot.com
Notes/Commentary:
* Genesis 3:8-9, some translations suggest the Divine Being enjoys a walk in the cool evening breezes.
* Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus to aligned around (Dec. 10), joined by the moon.
* Comet C/2021 A1 (Comet Leonard) will be visible throughout December 2021 and into early January 2022
* The mythobiblical Land of Nod is located east of Eden, from which Cain was banished for murdering Abel. But this is less about a story and more about a language. Nod is the root of the Hebrew verb “to wander.” Related words reflect meanings ranging from vagabond and fugitive to being disturbed, agitated or moved. To “live in the land of Nod” can mean “to live a wandering life.”
My friend Bajun R. Mavalwalla posted Tissot’s work on his Facebook page, along with some thoughts on the magi, from the traditions of his family. I woke up a week later with the words “dromedary dreams” in my mind. Since the words showed up, I thought I’d better work with them!
This poem is meant to be lighthearted and from the point of view of dromedaries, the common pack animal of the middle eastern deserts. Humans (with their baggage) run all over the place, trying to find the person, place or thing that will make existence perfect (“destination unknown”). The dromedaries in this poem rather think you don’t have to run around to find that—well, perhaps they would prefer to find, stay and experience the goodness of a single place, any place that is illumined by Divine light. (This would certainly save wear and tear of the desert sands on dromedary feet!).
Ultimately, this is a story of immanence, the holiness of the seen and unseen. People run all over, looking for holiness, when in truth they are surrounded by it, if only they could see and be illumined/informed by the signs, and act in accordance with them--that is, with responsible stewardship and benevolence. Rather than make this a story about astronomers from Persia with three gifts for a baby messiah, my rendering is intended to honor the traces of Zoroastrian monotheism that come to us through the Hellenist Judaism of Philo and Christianity—the transformative threefold ethical path of good thoughts, good words and good deeds.
E.T.E.
